Monday, November 3, 2014

1) Agree to plan last-minute engagement blowout for spoiled Mafia princess
before you realize her choice of caterer is Nick Lupo, a despicably gorgeous
young chef with a hot new restaurant in town, a reality TV show victory, and a
romantic past with you—one that did not end well.

2) Strike a deal with Nick in which you agree to spend a weekend with him in
exchange for his services, under the strict conditions there will be no talking
about the past, no second chances, and definitely no sex.

3) Violate all three conditions within 24 hours and spend two glorious days
remembering what made you fall for the sexy, egotistical bastard in the first
place, and why it hurt so much when he broke your heart.

Add one road trip, plenty of good scotch, and endless spoonfuls of chocolate
cake batter drizzled over your body and licked off inch by
oh-my-God-yes-right-there inch, then just admit it.

You’re totally FORKED.

Holy shit, I might actually pull
this off. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I
noted the vendor names on the contract. No, not might. I would absolutely pull this off by
myself, and it would be fabulous. Huge without being impersonal.Fun without
being tacky.Elegant without being stuffy. Mia would be proud of me, we were
bound to get good buzz if this reality show took off, and with the estimated
total cost—at which Angelina didn’t even bat a fake eyelash—I’d make enough
money to put ten percent down on the house. I could make an offer next week,
even.

See? Stop worrying. This was all
meant to happen. It’s fate.

And then.

“Oh! I almost forgot. I want that Italian
chef, Nick Lupo, to do burgers at midnight,” announced Angelina. “Right after
the fireworks.”

The floor dropped a few feet, or
maybe it was my stomach. I gripped the edge of my desk. “What did you say?”

“I want that Italian guy. You know,
the one who won first place on that reality show about hot chefs last year,
Lick My Plate? He’s from here and he has a restaurant downtown called The
Burger Bar. He’s there like every night. I saw him in there this week.”

“Yes, I know who he is. I just…” Haven’t
seen him since he snuck out of our hotel room in Vegas seven years ago.
“…think he might be difficult to get.”

Angelina blinked at me. “Why?”

“Well, because he’s, um…” My
ex.Famous now. The best sex I ever had and the worst mistake I ever made. There
were any number of ways I could’ve finished that sentence, but finally I went
with “probably not available.”

“Uh, I don’t think Nick Lupo does
private parties.” I hadn’t said his name out loud in years, and the sound of
it, the feel of it on my lips brought back powerful memories—the taste of
whiskey and apple pie. A warm, muscular body moving over mine.The crunch of
leaves beneath my back. A wide, lush mouth closing over my breast as he filled
the hollow ache inside me—

I crossed my legs and squeezed my
thighs together. Don’t.

“This isn’t just any private party.
Tell him who it’s for,” said Angelina, like duh. “Tell him who my father is. He’ll do it.”

My insides churned. “I guess I could
try.”

“Do it. Or I’ll get someone who
can.” Her loud voice was razor sharp, and I suddenly got the feeling God wasn’t
the one who’d sent her.

Fuck.

“I’ll do it.” My throat was bone
dry, my words barely audible.

“What?”

“I’ll do it,” I said more
forcefully. “I’ll get him.”

“You promise?” Angelina sniffed.

“Yes.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

We finished up, and after she left,
I dropped my head onto my desk and banged my forehead against the wood until it
ached.

Nick Lupo. I had to face Nick Lupo,
after all this time.

Even Mia didn’t know the complete
truth about my most impulsive decision ever. I’d been too ashamed to tell her.

When he’d left me sleeping in that
room at the Bellagio seven years ago, I’d been wearing a wedding ring. That
he’d put on my finger the night before.

He’d left his ring on the nightstand
along with a note.

This was a mistake.

In The Series

When Tucker Branch, playboy heir to Branch Bolt and Screw, screws and bolts a week before their wedding, Mia Devine wants nothing more than to crawl under her newly monogrammed sheets and plan a funeral for her dignity. But her friends convince her that bitter tastes better when it’s drowned in Bordeaux, so Mia grits her teeth and packs her bags, determined to make the best of her luxurious Paris honeymoon—alone.

She never planned on meeting Lucas Fournier.

The easygoing bartender’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth.

Nor is the simultaneous O.

The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy la vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with Lucas is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling.

Mia Devine fell hard for Lucas Fournier after their magical week in Paris. But eight months later, the free-spirited half-French musician still hasn't made any promises about their future. And as magnifique as long-distance phone sex is, nothing compares to the real thing.

Fed up with stolen weekends and lonely nights, Mia flies to New York armed with a list of reasons why they should take the next step, but an unexpected guest in Lucas's apartment derails her plans. He’s been keeping secrets--worse, he claims he's happy with the way things are.